Green Ideas: A Cork Covered Power Strip To Save Electricity

We think that everyone is starting to realize that leaving your gadgets plugged in when they aren't in use isn't good. It costs you money. Here at Unplggd, we want you to unplug your gadgets to save money! That's why manufacturers and designers have come up with specialized power strips to manage power. This latest comes from the Dutch design fair in Eindhoven.

We think that this design is really smart since it's covered in cork, which will dissipate heat effectively. It also makes the power strip look good. Most power strips are gaudy affairs, covered in plastic and different colors. This one actually looks nice.

This piece was actually called The Power of Design and is supposed to show people how much electricity is consumed when they aren't paying attention or the devices are in standby mode. There are four LED lights encircling each plug. They light up to show how much power is used by the socket. The more is used, the more it's lit up. Typically on standby mode, only one will light up. A dimmed light will light up two lights. Full use will light up three or four. It has another great feature. There is a large green button to turn the power strip completely off. It's large enough so that it can be easily tapped with a foot. We thought that this was a great idea to reduce electricity consumption. [via Abduzeedo, photos by Daan]